美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-23

1. If you’re planning to get away this Thanksgiving, chances are if you haven’t left yet, some holiday hassles will be in you future. Long lines are building at major airports including Washington, Chicago and Dallas. AAA estimates more than 38 million people will travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving.

2. Ninety homes were damaged when an explosion from a nearby chemical plant shook the town of Danvers, a neighborhood about 20 miles north of Boston. Authorities in Massachusetts are pleased that despite the widespread damage only 10 people were hurt and none seriously injured.

3. "No comment". That’s the response from the United States Secret Service after President Bush’s 24-year-old daughter Barbara Bush was robbed of her purse and cellphone in broad daylight while visiting Argentina.

4. It sounds like a thriller¹ movie, but it’s not. Philippines' airport authorities have foiled an attempt by a Filipino woman to smuggle² more than 100 poisonous snakes and lizards³ to Thailand Tuesday.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. hassle : N-VAR
A hassle is a situation that is difficult and involves problems, effort, or arguments with people.

2. be robbed of : PHR
If someone is robbed of something that they deserve, have, or need, it is taken away from them.

3. thriller : N-COUNT
A thriller is a book, film, or play that tells an exciting fictional⁴ story about something such as criminal activities or spying.

1 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

2 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

3 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

4 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。